<p>Hello! I am a junior planning to apply Early Decision to Barnard in the fall. I really appreciate any feedback you have.</p>
<p>GPA: 3.725 UW
Rank: 17… I think. Our new counselor messed up class ranks as some people now have GPAs of 143 on a 4.0 scale. (Yes. 4.0 scale).<br>
SAT score: Math 710, CR 600, Writing 650
SATII: Literature 720, US History 670, Math 700</p>
<p>I have taken all the AP classes and Honors/Advanced courses my small high school offers. I took two sciences my junior year. </p>
<p>Senior year:
Online Freshman Comp 1302
Online British Literartue 2301
Economics 2301
Government 2302
AP Environmental Science
Office Assistant
Graphic Design I
Newspaper III </p>
<p>EC’s:
-Yearbook photo editor
-School newspaper photo editor
-Texas Book Festival short story contest winner (150+ apps)
-Chamber of Commerce Literature Essay, 1st runner up (250+ apps)
-UIL Feature Writing and Literary Criticism regional qualifier
-Sunday School pre-K teacher, Bible study leader in the community
-Over 200 hours of volunteer work recorded throughout high school
-National Honor Society, service committee chair 2 yrs
-Leo Club member (service organization) 3 yrs
-UIL Speech and Debate competitor
-“Zoo Crew:” assisted with summer camps held at local zoo.<br>
-Theatre troupe: Sound technician 3 yrs
-Employee at Texas Sno </p>
<p>I am planning to major in English (creative writing) and History. I have many creative writing samples with which I won awards to send in a portfolio. Solid essays and a rec from an AP Lang teacher. Rec from my AP Chem teacher (Chem was my lowest grade) explaining that I try my best. I had a bad sophomore year, but my junior year will hopefully make up for it. </p>
<p>I have talked to a woman in the Barnard admissions office about becoming a BOP scholar. The MAX SAT for critical reading is 620, so I’m up in the air about retaking the SAT I. Severe financial need- my parents divorced this year, but both household of 2 and household of 4 recorded incomes below poverty guidelines. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for reading this. I really want to attend Barnard and I’m kind of nervous about applying.</p>
<p>You look good, but I would strongly advise against applying ED. You should find other schools that you love and apply to all RD so that you can compare awards when you get all your acceptances.</p>
<p>Calmom, a frequent poster here, can attest to the trials and tribulations of getting financial aid in divorce circumstances (I am sorry for you for that, by the way). Even though both households are “below poverty guidelines”, there is no guarantee of adequate financial aid, and it’s almost certain that a goodly portion of it will be in the form of student loans…</p>
<p>Best to you! It seems you have worked really hard and put yourself in a good position.</p>
<p>Hi brit8741!
We have the same SAT math score
With a class rank of 17, I feel like you have a really good chance of getting in. Lol, I wish my gpa/rank was as high. I really hope that you get in! I feel that you really deserve to. </p>
<p>We’ll know our decisions in less than three months! </p>
<p>I feel you about the FA. My financial aid situation is also ridiculously circumstancial. </p>
<p>Ugh, I’m so sick of worrying about colleges. I’ve done nothing but worry about it since, like, July. I’m sick of it. </p>
<p>I’m just going try my absolute HARDEST to get in, work hard in school, and be content with the decision I recieve in December knowing I put in my absolute all and best effort.</p>
<p>If you ever need anyone to talk to, feel free to message me! We are, afterall, a part of the same “anxiety crew.” Anxious to hear our decisions!</p>
<p>I’d apply RD so you can compare finaid packages. Also, try getting your lower SATIIs up a little. Other than that you look like you’re on target.</p>
<p>Churchmusicmom- Thank you very much. I have been thinking about applying RD, but my numbers are a little low for Barnard, so if I get in ED that’s great, but if not I can submit my new SAT IIs and midyear transcript, plus the agreement would no longer be binding. I go back and forth a lot… My lest semester’s grades brought my GPA down a little, but I’m working really hard this year to show improvement, especially because I’m taking two college courses each semester. </p>
<p>Noloserhere- Good luck to you! I really hope you get into Barnard; you obvously really want to go. And I am freakishly anxious. I sat in front of my computer with a friend for almost ten minutes trying to work up the nerve to submit my Common App supplements. (She finally did it for me while I screamed in terror.) Good luck with FA wherever you go. That’s always a hassle, regardless of college, when you have a lot of financial need. </p>
<p>Shimmer- Thanks! I’m going to retake the SAT II’s in November. I might try Chemistry or something this time.</p>
<p>Cause if you have then we will hope for the best…either acceptance or deferment. Unfortunately, they may flat out deny your admission if they think your stats are just not there. So if you have NOT yet applied ED, please consider that it really does not make sense for the admissions committee to accept someone ED when they might not do so (if your stats are “marginal”) in the RD round. I know that there is the idea out there that ED acceptance is somehow “easier”, but just because the percentage of those accepted out of the ED pool is higher, does not mean that it’s easier to get in ED. Think it through is all I am saying…</p>
<p>Gah. Calmom does a way better job of explaining all this than I do. Please know I am NOT saying you won’t get in. I am just saying that ED may not help you.</p>
<p>I haven’t signed my ED agreement or anything. I’m still reconsidering. I don’t think ED will “help me” exactly, I just know that Barnard accepts midyear reports for students who apply ED, to reconsider later on. My last semester of my junior year was not great, but this semester will be much better, show it shows the change, etc. All that good stuff.</p>
<p>And I sent a message to calmom, and she had a lot of great things to say. I’m thinking about applying to all my colleges RD and comparing awards. Barnard is hands-down my first choice, but there are a few places where I can see myself being really happy.</p>
Only if you are deferred. If you are rejected, that’s a flat out no. </p>
<p>Now I don’t know whether any student who is rejected ED would have much of a chance RD in any case – I mean, it doesn’t make sense for Barnard to reject students who are “iffy” for admissions, when they have the option to defer – but you do need to plan for rejection. And part of that plan is to have your applications ready for all of the other colleges you might consider, including safety schools. </p>
<p>And if you are going to go to the work of researching those other colleges and preparing the applications… then what benefit to you is ED, if you don’t get in? </p>
<p>But you don’t want to be in the situation of doing all your college research and assembling apps between December 15 and January 1st. For one thing, that coincides with winter break and you’ll have a hard time getting LOR’s if you haven’t already lined them up – so you really need to do the same amount of prep work in any case.</p>
<p>About the only benefit I can see of applying ED would be to avoid the costs associated with applying to the other schools, IF you get accepted under BOP. But with divorced parents that is taking a huge risk-- it only takes one parent getting remarried to someone with a reasonably good income to completely change the financial aid picture. </p>
<p>And BOP does NOT require an ED application. Also, I don’t know if you would even know if you had been accepted to BOP with an ED admit, prior to the spring --that decision may have to wait for submission of your 2011 financials from both parents.</p>
Anxious to hear our decisions!</p>